To send content items to your account,
please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies.
If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account.
Find out more about sending content to .

To send content items to your Kindle, first ensure no-reply@cambridge.org
is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings
on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part
of your Kindle email address below.
Find out more about sending to your Kindle.

Note you can select to send to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations.
‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be sent to your device when it is connected to wi-fi.
‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

By using this service, you agree that you will only keep articles for personal use, and will not openly distribute them via Dropbox, Google Drive or other file sharing services
Please confirm that you accept the terms of use.

We examined the in vitro developmental competence of parthenogenetic activation (PA) oocytes activated by an electric pulse (EP) and treated with various concentrations of AZD5438 for 4 h. Treatment with 10 µM AZD5438 for 4 h significantly improved the blastocyst formation rate of PA oocytes in comparison with 0, 20, or 50 µM AZD5438 treatment (46.4% vs. 34.5%, 32.3%, and 24.0%, respectively; P < 0.05). The blastocyst formation rate was higher in the group treated with AZD5438 for 4 h than in the groups treated with AZD5438 for 2 or 6 h (42.8% vs. 38.6% and 37.2%, respectively; P > 0.05). Furthermore, 66.67% of blastocysts derived from these AZD5438-treated PA oocytes had a diploid karyotype. The blastocyst formation rate of PA and somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) embryos was similar between oocytes activated by an EP and treated with 2 mM 6-dimethylaminopurine for 4 h and those activated by an EP and treated with 10 µM AZD5438 for 4 h (11.11% vs. 13.40%, P > 0.05). In addition, the level of maturation-promoting factor (MPF) was significantly decreased in oocytes activated by an EP and treated with 10 µM AZD5438 for 4 h. Finally, the mRNA expression levels of apoptosis-related genes (Bax and Bcl-2) and pluripotency-related genes (Oct4, Nanog, and Sox2) were checked by RT-PCR; however, there were no differences between the AZD5438-treated and non-treated control groups. Our results demonstrate that porcine oocyte activation via an EP in combination with AZD5438 treatment can lead to a high blastocyst formation rate in PA and SCNT experiments.

Excavation of the Han Dynasty chambered tomb at Laoguanshan in Chengdu, south-west China, has provided the earliest known evidence of pattern loom technology. Four model looms, along with accompanying artefacts and figurines relating to the weaving process, give insight into the technique of jin silk production. The discovery is hugely significant as it provides the first direct evidence of pattern-weave textile production in ancient China. Jin silk, made using this method, was both valuable and widely distributed, and the design of the machine influenced the invention of later looms and the spread of technology throughout Eurasia and Europe, representing great technological accomplishment for the second century BC.

The development of high performance Al–Cu based alloys generally depends on the strict control of the Fe content. However, with the increasing use of recycled aluminum alloys, it is necessary to increase the tolerance for the Fe content in Al–Cu cast alloys for the purpose of low cost, energy saving, and environment protection. In this study, the formation of Fe-rich intermetallics and their effect on the tensile properties of squeeze-cast Al–5.0 wt% Cu–0.6 wt% Mn alloys with an Fe content of up to 1.5 wt% have been investigated. The full formation sequence of squeeze-cast Al–5.0 wt% Cu–0.6 wt% Mn alloys with different Fe contents has been established. The results were also compared with the corresponding results obtained for Al–5.0Cu–0.6Mn alloys prepared by gravity die casting. It is found that the Fe-rich intermetallic compounds mainly consist of α-Fe and β-Fe in alloys with a low Fe content, changing into Al6(FeMn) and Al3(FeMn) for alloys with a high Fe content. The applied pressure promotes the formation of the Fe-rich intermetallics α-Fe/Al6(FeMn) and prevents the precipitation of needle-like β-Fe/Al3(FeMn). The elongation of the alloys gradually decreases with the Fe content, and a maximum value for both the ultimate mechanical strength and the yield strength was found for the alloys with 0.5 wt% Fe. The tensile properties of alloys with a different Fe content significantly increased as the applied pressure was increased from 0 to 75 MPa, especially the elongation.

Recommend this

Email your librarian or administrator to recommend adding this to your organisation's collection.